It’s practically inevitable: Every now and then, there comes a day when you just need a good burger. And with the renowned chefs and higher-end restaurants offering their takes on them these days, dedicated foodies have found new ways to enjoy the American favorite.

From The Twisted Paddy Facebook page

That’s definitely the case with The Twisted Paddy in Mentor, which opened in March. Owned by the same local group that operates Croagh Patrick’s Pub and The Wild Goose in Willoughby, it’s a burger place that goes well beyond your average burger.

Every wonder what peanut butter on a burger would be like? Want to try goat cheese guacamole? The build-your-own burger option gives you 50-some options to choose from, including your choice of bun, patty and even the seasoning rub. If you’re one of those people who stumbles indecisively when asked what kind of cheese you want on your burger, you might have trouble here – there are 10 to choose from.

Despite some recent troubles — pleading no contest to reckless driving charges after charges of OVI and speeding were dismissed and being dropped by the Cleveland Browns and WKYC-TV 3 as the color analyst for the broadcast of the team’s preseason games — Kosar remains a beloved figure in Northeast Ohio.

The Boardman native maneuvered his way to becoming the Browns quarterback after his time at the University of Miami, and he led the Browns during some very fun seasons in the late 1980s.

We love Kosar here, and we don’t care who knows it.

The osso bucco at Kosar's Wood-Fired Grill

So when Kosar’s Wood-Fired Grill opened in December at the new Hard Rock Rocksino at Northfield Park, it became more noteworthy than any new steakhouse, if only because of its name. The restaurant is owned by Northfield Park Associates and Hard Rock International. According to a spokeswoman for the Rocksino, there is an agreement with Kosar, but she declined to provide specifics.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was thinking about being out of town for
Cinco de Mayo, it struck me that I hadn’t been to a Mexican restaurant
IN TOWN in quite some time. I decided it was time to change that, and
started looking for a new one to experience.

That’s a task in and of itself because I feel like I’ve been to them
all. Yet I stumbled upon a place that opened nearly four years ago, yet
was one I’d never heard of. I noticed it only because of a mention on
social media.

The place is Jalisco
in Eastlake, housed in the building that, last I remembered, was the
Chagrin Tavern on Lake Shore Boulevard. I still feel like I found it by
accident, but let’s just say I’m glad I did.

Dining Out: Wonderful meal at The Cabin has but one drawback

The Cabin has been a fixture on Lake Shore Boulevard in Willowick for a long, long time.
And I hadn’t been to the restaurant in a long time, not since my father
would take us there for the occasional family dinner when I was a kid.

That was well before the place burned down in the early 1990s and was
rebuilt to look very much how it did before, according to the history on
its website.

Between the fact that I had never tried the place as an adult and that
it has been under new management since June, I was eager to check it
out.

I remember seeing Sterle’s Country House
in Cleveland on an episode of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and
Dives” a few years ago and, recalling the place from my childhood,
thinking that it was none of those.

It’s not, but it’s not exactly the place from my childhood, either.

Frank Sterle opened what used to be known as Frank Sterle’s Slovenian
Country House on East 55 Street in 1954. If you have Slovenian roots and
have lived in Cleveland at any time since then, you’ve probably been to
the place. Sterle died in 1986, and the restaurant was operated by new
partners from then until 2012, when Rick Semersky bought it.

It’s still going to be known simply as “Sterle’s” (ster-LEES) by most of
its longstanding clientele, so the tweak to the name isn’t a big deal. A
bigger deal is that there’s now an outdoor bier garden, waitresses in
black T-shirts instead of the traditional dirndl, and some items on the
menu that Frank Sterle didn’t serve.

We went on a recent Saturday, doing Sterle’s the way it is best
experienced: in a large group and when there’s live polka music. This is
what hasn’t changed from the years gone by – families dance while
accordions loudly pump out songs that everybody present has heard a
thousand times. The band the night of our visit started at 6, and by 7
the large dining hall inside the Alpine ski-lodge-styled old building
was nearly full.

Dining Out: Granite City Food & Brewery at Legacy Village pairs good beer, food for fine time

Opened in November in the space formerly inhabited by Joseph-Beth
Booksellers, the restaurant is part of a 30-location chain that started
in St. Cloud, Minn., and now has a presence in 13 states.

It was mid-afternoon, and I had eaten lunch not that long before, so I
just bellied up to the appealing bar to try one of their beers, settling
on the Broad Axe Stout. Described as having notes of chocolate and
coffee, the oatmeal stout sounded great on the blustery day. I enjoyed
the mellow atmosphere in the big, open place and did peek at the menu,
so I was interested in coming back for a meal.

That opportunity presented itself on the first real day of
the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, aka March Madness. A buddy
and I took a break from binge watching to fill up on food and, of
course, a little beer.

Dining Out: Kickstart Grill at Coach's Tavern in Willowick is a kick

When one of our friends suggested we make a visit to Kickstart Grille
at Coach's Tavern in Willowick, it didn't take a lot of convincing for
me to go. A new place with fresh bar food in a casual environment? I'm
in.

So my wife and I and another couple visited on a recent Saturday, and
it wasn't until we pulled into the parking lot that we realized Coach's
Tavern is the former site of Buffalo Wild Wings. That, of course, is
long gone, but none of us had been there since it left.

Actually, it didn't completely leave. The layout of the place is
similar, with the kitchen distinctly separated from the bar, the way all
BW3s seem to be set up. If you forced me to wager, I'd say that the
formica-topped high tables and stools that populate the dining room are
also holdovers.

Coach's is in a lot of ways the prototypical
neighborhood bar – on the dim side, not too big, quite a few flat-screen
TVs. But not-so-typical is the food part of the equation. Kickstart
Grille arrived in January, and is not fully integrated – at least not
yet – into the whole place. For example, we ordered and paid separately
for food and drinks.

Lake County native Dennis Blakeslee is
the one who has brought Kickstart into Coach's, which was without a
kitchen for some time and is now open for lunch. He takes pride in using
only fresh ingredients throughout the menu, which is dotted with the
description “disgustingly delicious.” And a fair amount of bacon.